An abdominal aortic aneurysm (“AAA”) is an abnormal dilation of the arterial wall of the aorta in the region of the aorta that passes through the abdominal cavity. The condition most commonly results from atherosclerotic disease. Abdominal aortic aneurysms are typically dissecting aneurysms, which are aneurysms that are formed when there is a tear or fissure in the arterial lining or wall through which blood is forced and eventually clots, forming a thrombosis which swells and weakens the vessel. Abdominal aortic aneurysms typically do not cause pain and are easily detected by physical examination. The aneurysm may rupture if it is not detected and treated, causing massive hemorrhaging which is likely to be fatal to the patient.
Treatment of AAAs typically comprises some form of arterial reconstructive surgery, commonly referred to as a “triple-A” procedure. One such method is bypass surgery, in which an incision is made into the abdominal cavity, the aorta is closed off above and below the site of the aneurysm, the aneurysm is resected, and a synthetic graft or tube sized to approximate the diameter of the normal aorta is sutured to the vessel to replace the aneurysm and to allow blood flow through the aorta to be reestablished. The graft commonly is fabricated of a thin-walled biocompatible material. Nylons and synthetic fibers, such as DACRON® and TEFLON®, are typically used in the construction of such grafts. When performed prior to rupture of an aneurysm, the mortality rate is less than 5%.
Many patients experiencing such AAAs, however, are over 65 years of age and often have other chronic illnesses which increase the risk of perioperative or post-operative complications. Thus, such patients are not ideal candidates for triple-A procedures. Further, this procedure is generally not performed successfully once an aneurysm has ruptured due to the extensiveness of the surgery and the time required to prepare a patient for surgery. The mortality rate for patient experiencing such ruptured aneurysms is over 65%.
As a result of the aforementioned disadvantages to conventional surgical methods, minimally invasive techniques have been developed for the repair of AAAs. Such methods involve placement of a stent-graft at the site of the aneurysm by a catheter, known as an introducer, which serves as a deployment device. The stent-graft and its deployment system are typically introduced into the blood stream percutaneously and negotiated by means of a guidewire to the site of the aneurysm where the stent is caused to be radially expanded. Such procedures are desirable as they can be performed using local anesthesia and do not expose the patient to many of the same risks associated with triple-A procedures.
In such minimally invasive repair procedures, the bifurcated structure of the abdominal aortic arch necessitates the use of a uniquely-structured bifurcated stent-graft. Typically, aneurysms, occlusions or stenoses will occur at the location where the aortic arch bifurcates into the iliac arteries and may also occur at the iliac arteries. The in situ positioning of stent-grafts in this area is more difficult than the positioning of such devices in the lumen of non-bifurcated vessels. As both limbs of a bifurcated stent-graft are inserted and advanced through a single branch of the femoral arterial system, one of the limbs of the stent-graft must ultimately be pulled or drawn into the contralateral branch so that the stent-graft is suitably positioned across both the aortic aneurysm and the associated common iliac aneurysms to supply circulation to each of the lower limbs.
Bifurcated stent-grafts are frequently too bulky to advance through a single iliac artery, particularly in view of the fact that the limb for the contralateral branch of the stent-graft must be inserted together with the limb of the ipsilateral branch. Additionally, care must be taken to not twist or kink the stent-graft as it is placed in the contralateral artery. The caudal portion of the graft must not stretch across the mouth of the internal iliac artery which would result in inadvertent occlusion of that artery. The procedure of drawing one limb of the stent-graft from one femoral artery to the contralateral femoral artery requires placement of a cross-femoral catheter using a closable wire basket prior to insertion of the stent-graft.
This procedure requires significant and skillful wire catheter manipulation, frequently within the aneurysmal cavity. As such, care must be taken to avoid disturbing or dislodging thrombic or embolic material from within the aneurysmal sac. Additional factors such as the severe tortuosity of the iliac arteries and the marked angulation of the aortoiliac junction resulting form the tendency of the abdominal aortic artery to extend caudally during aneurysm formation combine to make deployment of endoluminal bifurcated grafts time consuming and at increased risk of procedural complications and failure.
To overcome the aforementioned risks associated with the use of one-piece stent-grafts in the repair of aneurysms occurring in bifurcated vessels, two-piece stent-grafts have been developed which may be assembled in situ. Examples of such two-piece stent-grafts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,051,020, 5,938,696, and 5,916,263, all to Goicoechea et al., wherein a first stent-graft is positioned within one branch of the femoral arterial system and a second stent-graft is subsequently positioned with a contralateral branch thereof and attached to the first component. Attachment of the components typically occurs by overlapping sections of the components which are held together by friction forces.
Additionally, prosthetic devices used in the repair of AAAs have been found to be extremely vulnerable to wearing, particularly as a result of the tortuous nature of vessel lumens. Such wearing necessitates the repair of these devices, requiring additional surgical procedures which may include replacement of the device. Consequently, there is a continuing need for the development of stent grafts and techniques useful for the repair of AAAs and for the repair of AAA devices.